Blood Stained Innocence
by Penname.Of.Doom
Summary: Maximum Ride/Runaways Max has been blind since birth is the Flock’s biggest liability. Yet everybody wants her, for her power, which will the change the world. Magneto, The School, the government…they all want her. Only Fang knows why...
1. Chapter 1

Blood Stained Innocence

Blood Stained Innocence

Chapter 1

_Phone conversation between Jeb Bacheldor, Head Of Genetics, with, Marian Janssen, Director of Itex_

_Nearly 18 years ago_

"All good so far. She passed her physical examination with flying colours. Everything is there, where it's supposed to be, no extra parts and she is actually quite a stunner," Jeb Bacheldor happily informed the Director.

"Whatever. Just tell me, what are the scans of her brain indicating?" the Director snapped back angrily. She was loosing her patience quite rapidly.

"The scans suggest the she is developing according to plans. But…"

"But, what?" Jeb shivered at the icy tone in her voice.

"It was also revealed by the scans, that what we had hoping was just a late development, is in fact something much worse. Further testing will be needed of course, but all signs are pointing towards it. We believe that the specimen may be blind. That she was in fact born with this condition."

"Has she been formerly diagnosed?"

"No. The specialist is coming in tomorrow. Until then we are keeping her sedated," Jeb rapidly explained.

"Good. And make sure you give me an update on the results the moment you hear them. And I don't even have to tell you why," the Director retorted so quickly and hanging up just as fast, it took a while for Jeb to get a grip on what had just happened.

He put his own phone down and sat back in his chair. Mentally going through the conversation he just had, trying to figure out how bad the damage was, and whether or not he was going to get back into the Director's good books again, ever. He decided that it wasn't so bad and quickly moved onto the next problem that badly needed confronting.

Project Cassandra.

Jeb really didn't know what to do with it anymore. In true form of frustration, Jeb ran his hands through his hair, ruffling it up, destroying the neat comb over that had taken all morning for his wife to perfect. His hand then came down to cover his eyes and then to the bridge of his nose, gently massaging it as he took in several deep breaths before letting it all out.

What was he going to do?

He abruptly got up out of his chair and began to pace the room, while rubbing his chin, desperately scrabbling to find an answer. A proper one, not just some quick fix thing, that would make it all go away for a couple of days. He needed a permanent solution. But as to the extent of his knowledge, there was no known cure for blindness.

As he went through it all, the more complicated it became and the more he came to resent it. He stopped and rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the frustration that had been building up ever since he had seen the brain scan results earlier that afternoon.

"Fuck!" he shouted out as he turned around to punch the wall.

He kept punching it, well past the pain and anger that was clouding his mind. He only stopped when the distant sound of crying from down the hall of his office pierced his mind and actually got through to him. He let out a heavy sigh and brought hist fists to his sides as he hung his head in defeat. In that moment of clarity, he knew that he was in over his head.

He turned and jogged through the door and down the hall to the excluded and now abandoned at that time of night, lab that held the centre of all the drama. He swiped his key card across the security panel and waited for the computer to register him. As he waited he looked though the glass window and saw only one thing.

In the middle of the room, in a crib that was surrounded by masses of medical equipment and machinery that were quietly droning away in to the deathly silence of the sound proofed room was a baby girl, who was also known as Project Cassandra.

He waited and finally a loud and clear beep was let out, followed by a green light and the door slid open for him to enter. He was in.

He swiftly crossed the room and looked down and the cause of all the noise. The baby girl was screaming, at what sounded to be the top of her lungs. He reached down into the depths of the cribs and began stroking the girl's cheek, which just increased the crying even more. Bending right over, Jeb put his hands right around the baby and making sure he had a proper grip on her before gently picking her up and cradling her close to his chest, bouncing her up and down, in an attempt to calm her down before his ear drums burst.

She eventually stoped after a while and drifted off quietly to sleep as Jeb continued to rock and sway with her. He looked down and just like each time he saw her, he sucked in the breath of what he saw.

Even at such an age, as he said had to the Director before, she was a stunner. She had a head full of hair all ready that was the colour of cornsilk as it wound its way into loose but defined curls. The cheeks bones looked like they belonged on some model, but there they were on the babies face. Jeb knew that underneath the sleepy set of eyelids laid a pair of beautiful eye's that were a warm brown that was randomly dashed with hazel.

Eyes that were never going to see the world, but only an endless darkness. The perfect metaphor that could also be used to describe what her life was going to be like in the coming years, as she under went tests and people poking things at her. She would have no idea where they were coming from or who they were, just that she had no control over what was happening.

_Ten Years Later_

A whole decade and the memory of that night had never faded or changed. The whole ten years it had remained embedded within the deep recesses of Jeb's mind. Quietly simmering away, awaiting the perfect opportunity to present itself, to that it maybe called upon and arise to the surface.

Then there were other memories that had also been kept about Project Cassandra as she had grown up through out the years. Going from toddler, to smart ass child, to finally a wiser and more aware than ever ten year old that hated her life, more than she probably hated the white coats that ran the horrible experiments on her.

The experiments. Those were the things that Jeb that couldn't help but remember.

He had watched them strap her down to a table at the age of two as they did open brain surgery to try and speed up the development of her powers. When she was four she was put in a room with a projector and made to watch a screen with various pictures and using her newly developed power that was half the purpose of her creation and existence, she had to predict what would happen to the people after the pictures were taken, using her power to see into the future.

When she was six they had put her in a room full of erasers to see if she would be able to defend herself by seeing where they would be and be prepared

too block them. One thing had definitely been learnt that and day and it was that she was no fighter. She had left that experiment covered in scratches and bruises that had only slightly marred her beauty but had had scarred her even more, if it was possible, for life.

By her eighth birthday, she had grown so much, yet she was different from the other experiments. She was so isolated and cold, having no social skills what so ever. She had been marked at showing vast amounts of intelligence, yet she had never spoken verbally to the white coats or any other experiments that were deemed good enough to be with her.

By her tenth birthday Jeb had seen enough and made the decision in his mind that he was going to set Project Cassandra free. Along with some other hybrids of her kind. Five of them.

The night of his plan came and he let out the other five experiments first and then drew aside the dark male that came across as been leader. If he recalled correctly he had been referred to as Fang. The others were Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman and then the baby Angel. They were the same kind of hybrids as Project Cassandra.

"Fang, I know that you probably don't trust me but I need you to just this once and listen to what I am saying very carefully," Jeb said slowly letting it sink into the young boy's mind that this was a matter of utmost importance.

Fang took into consideration what the white coat had said and what he had just done for his Flock and decided that listening was the least he could do so with a slight nod, Jeb took it as the indication for him to continue.

"Fang, have you ever heard of Project Cassandra?" At the most crucial words in the sentence, Fang's eyes had severely widened and he gave Jeb a level look before loosing his façade and spoke to Jeb for the first time.

"Yeah. It's about the really pretty girl that won't talk to anybody because she's such a snob," Fang said simply, like that was all to know about her.

"Good," Jeb had been leading Fang over to the girls crate the whole time and when the reached it Jeb pointed down and asked, "Do you recognise her?"

Fang was startled at how beautiful she was close up. Not been able to help it, he leant down, been drawn in, to get a closer look at her. Jeb knelt down with him and began explaining everything that was Project Cassandra into his ear.

"Fang, I want you to take her with you. Give her a name. Give her a home. Protect her. Love her even. But she is blind and not a fighter so she might not be off much use to your Flock but she has some special talents. That may come in handy. Just be cautious about her 18th birthday, because people are going to come after her and it's going to be absolute fucking hell."

Fang looked at Jeb and then back down at the girl. If he was hearing right than this girl was truly much more than just a pretty face. Eager to hear more he looked back up at Jeb who was waiting calmly for Fang's reaction to this.

"Fang, she is destined to destroy the world. And she predicted this with the power that she has now, to see into the future. And if she stays here it will come true. So this is why I want you to save the world. Take her with you and try and prevent her coming back here as best you can," Jeb whispered into Fang's ear.

Jeb then reached down to open the dog crate door that she had been leaning on. When the door was open wide enough and with her support gone the girl had bent to the laws of gravity and flopped like a rag doll into Fang's unknowing arms. Jeb studied Fang as he took in her physically.

Fang really did think that she had to be the most beautiful person in the world. Her hair was so blonde and felt like silk against his rough skin. Her skin making contact against his, sent shivers all through him, shocking his nervous system. His mind short-circuited as he came to her face, he longed to reach down and stoke it. He longed to claim the prize as his own.

Yet he also found it hard to believe that someone as beautiful as her could have such large fault as being blind. Being beautiful as that had to come at some price and it really wouldn't be fair if she had it all.

Jeb was startled when Fang who had gotten up, trying to manage the weight of a still sedated from earlier girl in his arms as he carried her bridal style. As he adjusted to the weight and looked like he would even be able to fly with her, he asked a rather odd question.

"What should I call her?"

"What?" Jeb was confused.

"Her name?"

"Oh. I don't know. Umm…well you are going to be having a grand adventure and with her at the wheel of it that bumpy drive. It's going to be the maximum ride of your life…so maybe…."

Jeb didn't get to finish. Iggy had just come running over to where Fang was and with a quick look of confusion at the girl and then straight into business he revealed the horrible new development with Eraser's noticing their empty dog crates. The rest of the Flock soon came running over. Gazzy holding Nudge's hand and then Nudge's other spare arm was been used to carry baby Angel.

"Go! And look after her!" Jeb hissed just before he ran off, leaving Project Cassandra in the hands of Fang, and unsaid by anyone, the fate of the world.

_15 minutes later in flight_

Fang glanced down for about the ninth time in one minute at the girl he was carrying as he flew. Just managing to hold his body weight and hers at the same time. But he could juts feel that maybe all of this effort might be worth it for…

She still needed a name…he had liked what the white coats had mentioned before. Something about a bumpy drive…and that was it. Maximum Ride.

She was going to be the Maximum Ride of his life, so that's what he was going to name her and he could even call her Max for short. He smiled down at Max and his cleverness and then slowed down slightly letting the Flock catch up to him, so that he could explain and introduce them to their newest Flock member.

Maximum Ride.

**A/N: Review please. 3 for the next chapter. And does it sound promising? And Jeb is swearing...I know. Gasp! And you all know the wings colours and wind kind of hybrids they are so, I got lazy and couldn't be bothered to put it in.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Blood Stained Innocence **

Chapter 2 

Iggy POV

As I awoke, I became aware of the screaming.

I slammed my hands up to cover my ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sound. My eyes' squeezed closed as I relived the memories of which the screaming reminded me.

_I heard each__breath an experiment was lucky enough to breathe. Each step a white coat made, I could hear it. I could hear everything. There wasn't a thing in that lab that I couldn't. So when the cries of a dying child that an Eraser was slowly ripping to shreds came, I could hear that too._

Attentive to my super senses I slowly removed my hands from my ears and tried to work out where and what the loud noise was.

My first assumption was that one of the Flock were in danger, been kidnapped, under attack from Erasers. When I failed to recognise the voice my panic subsided and I relaxed a little, though not entirely. How could anyone ever relax with such lovely _'background music'_?

Finally, I opened my eyes and I was met with the breath taking beauty of the world surrounding me to be utterly and completely pitch black. No weird little glowing light in the background or big complicated pieces of technology's stand-by lights flashing on and off. But that still wasn't the best part.

It was a natural darkness, the kind that came from the Earth rotating on its axis and going around the sun. You might have heard of it, the whole day and night cycle thing. Not some kind of automated system that shut of the lab block lights at a specific time, trying to trick you into thinking it was night.

Sure, it sounds crazy. Night is night and black is black; normal people think of it like that in their own naive little ways. But to my family and me the difference between natural and simulated is beyond comprehension.

I stretched out my whole body to it's full length, enjoying not waking up inside a cramped dog crate. I rolled my shoulders, slowly letting my wings unfurl themselves. I might have accidentally even let out a moan because of how good it felt. Once my wings had reached full extent I pulled them back in and then started cracking my neck.

I was trying to turn my head far as was allowed without injuring myself, and I was surprised to see that, out of the corner of my eyes, the banshee that Fang had decided to get us a new pet. Also known as the random hot chick that Fang busted out from the School and let her tag along without even consulting the rest of the Flock about it.

I sat up too see if anybody else was awake, but strangely I was the only one. And from the looks of it, even if somebody dropped a nuclear bomb, they still wouldn't wake up. Even Fang, whom was the closest to the banshee, was still asleep. The banshee was actually trapped in his arms and pressed against his body. I found that when I listened really closely, she was actually screaming out the same words over again. "Somebody help me! Please!" She also appeared to be struggling to undo Fang's grip around her.

I stood up and took just one step closer and her head swung in my direction, her eyes wide as she asked, "Is somebody there? If you are please help me!" she sounded so desperate.

"Yeah. I'll help you if you promise to stop screaming. I have sensitive ears you know!" I said calmly, imitating a tone that I had heard Fang use on the little ones whenever they got scared.

She shut up immediately and sat quietly turning her head slowly in all direction, almost if she trying to figure out where I was standing, which happened to be right in front of her. "Where are you?" she called out softly in the opposite direction of where I was.

"Right in front of you! God! Are you blind or something?" I snapped, losing my patience.

She gave me a spiteful look in right the direction this time and actually spat – with pinpoint accuracy – in my face. That really got me riled up. I mean Fang had just rescued her with the kindness his heart and because Jeb made him (besides the point) and us, his family, let Fang keep the girl that we knew nothing about and for all we know could be a spy.

I wiped the spit away from my face and then leaned right over her so that we were on inches apart. I sneered right in her face, making sure that my breath hit her. "You think that you're better than me?"

She thought that just because the white coats thought that she was one of the more important experiments that she was better then the Flock? Maybe in the lab but out here in the world that just wasn't going to work. It would be survival of the fittest and the way that she was really getting under my skin at the moment she would have been lucky I she lived to see the morning.

"Help me!" She shrieked.

I put my hand around her mouth and whispered into her ear, "Do you want me to get you free or not?"

Her face remained blank and thankfully her mouth closed.

I knelt down on my knees, close to her and Fang, and began the perilous task of trying to untangle Fang's arms away from the chick's waist without him noticing. Easier said than done. Fang had a grip of a pit-bull around her waist and it looked like not even God himself would have been able to destroy that grip.

Then, of course she just had to go and break the silence (my poor ears had just stopped ringing), "Are you sure that you can-"

"Yes. And are you questioning my strength?" I interrupted her.

I heard her mutter something under her breath about 'ego' and 'macho'. Obviously aimed at me but I ignored them. What would she ever know about the male psyche? I went on with trying to get the living rock - Fang - away from the girl

Naturally she had to go speaking again. "So tell me. Where am I?"

"A forest. Duh! But just be glad it's not a dog crate all right? You shouldn't even be here right now. Fang brought you with us for some random reason without asking us. So right now, your membership is only temporary? Got that?" My anger from before was shooting through.

I almost groaned when she opened her mouth to speak once again. "So. Fang is the one holding me right?"

"Yeah," I answered cautiously. Where was this leading?

"And that would make you?"

"Your Dad," I muttered not caring if I hurt her feelings.

"Fine. Be a jerk!" she snapped back.

I eventually gave up on trying to get her free. It just wasn't go to happen. Fang refused to let go despite anything I had tried; plucking one of my feathers and tickling him. His reaction? A little snuffle and actually making the grip tighter.

"What did you do that for?" she choked out.

"Accident."

"Sure," she wheezed.

"Hey. It's not my fault if your boyfriend over there gets possessive – even in his sleep."

"He's not my boyfriend. I don't even know his name," she said hotly, her voice sounding less breezy.

"But you wish you did."

"Whatever. And you still haven't told me your name!" she chimed, recovering from her choking scare quite quickly

"Are you always so persistent?" I called out over my shoulder as I ambled back over to my sleeping spot.

"Yep." She popped the 'p'.

Falling back onto the grass creating a thump, I rolled over onto my back taking the opportunity to look at all the stars. It was breath taking to be seeing the real things out in the open. Not in some book or through some lab window my dog-crate got placed by unintentionally for the night. I breathed in the fresh air, loving how it filled up my lungs with its coolness.

"Hey, are you looking at the stars?"

"No, I'm looking at the sky."

"So, you mean you are looking at the stars? Or aren't there any stars?" I rolled my eyes at her stupidity.

"Look up, genius!"

"I can't," she whispered, though I was still able to hear her.

"Sure you can. Just lean your neck back, open your ey-"

"Are you always such an inconsiderate dick?" she screeched, probably meaning to insult me, but she lacked a threatening tone.

"No. Only when there's a chick that's really pissing me off and she won't shut up."

"I got treated better at the School by all the scientists!"

Now I really was insulted. How dare she put me in comparison with one of the white coats? How dare she disrespect my Flock, my family? How could she after all we had done for her? Compelled by my rage I got up and stomped over to her and knelt down directly in front of her. My fists were clenched into tight little balls on either side of me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Exactly as I said it." My hand went out and slapped her. The sound of flesh on flesh echoed around us.

I was panting, really straining to keep a lid on my temper. "You want to repeat that?"

She raised her head up and I saw tears slipping down those fine cheekbones and the snarl her mouth was twisted into, I knew that I had just crossed her boundary line.

But what could she do to me? Nothing, that's what.

"Asshole! That's what they were, but nothing compared to you. They may have conduct all sort of tests on me and made my life a living hell but they at least had the decency to acknowledge my disability!" My eyes widened at the mention of a disability.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, unable to reign in my curiosity.

"Don't play dumb. You're just proving my point more and more." All hostility had left her voice and she had spoken with a cool, breezy voice. Like the one that used to come on over the loudspeaker system at the School.

I looked her up and down briefly. Two arms, two legs, ten visible fingers, head joined to the shoulders via the neck, no extra features, and to top it off she was pretty. I crinkled my brow trying to figure out what was wrong with her. There was nothing else that I could think of.

"What's your disability?"

She huffed.

"You are such a…" She struggled to come up with an insult.

"Will you just tell me already?" I asked tiredly.

"I'm blind, genius!"

My eyes instantly went to hers and were confronted right on with the truth. Her eyes were a natural brown but had been dulled by the greyish tinge of blindness.

"Whoa…" I breathed.

"Hey! Stop drooling on me!" she squealed.

"What? I'm no-" I started unable to finish because in truth I actually was drooling. Embarrassed, I pulled away from her face and fell backwards, breathing way harder then ever before. What the heck had that been? I had just been looking into her eyes when I had just…Aw heck, how do I put this? I guess I floated off somewhere…yeah, somewhere in my head more like it.

Trying to maintain some of my dignity I quickly changed the subject, diverting the stream of conversation her way. "So how long have you been blind?"

"I dunno," she mumbled half-heartedly. Trying to more her arms up enough to wipe my drool off her face. In the end she settled for wiping her cheek against Fang's shirt.

"How can you not know?"

"I just don't, okay? Now, drop it!" she shouted, her voice peaking to the torturous, eardrum shattering volumes from before.

"No. I want to know!" No way was she going to get away with not telling me!

"God! You never know when to shut you mouth do you?" She sounded seriously irritated and even if it meant that she would start screaming like a banshee again, I was going to find out. I mean, why else would she be so defensive? It had to be for a good reason.

"Will you tell me?"

"What part of 'No' don't you get?"

"How about now?"

"Shut, UP!"

"Now?"

"How about...Now?"

"When are you going to tell me?"

It went on like that for a while. I don't know precisely how long, but it must have been a good while, because when the sun just came peaking up over the delicate line of trees that fringed the horizon of the clearing that we were staying in, she finally relented and blew a fuse.

"I will tell you! Just freaking shut up already!"

"Okay," I eagerly agreed. It's fun to annoy people.

_'She's even more fun to annoy than Fang!' _My inner child couldn't help but having a little input.

"So?"

"I've been blind every since I can remember! Happy now?" she snapped.

"Why?"

"So full of questions aren't you? Brimming with curiosity. Plus, not knowing when to leave something alone!"

I couldn't tell if she had been using sarcasm or was been serious, so I voiced my internal pondering. "Where you referring to me?"

"You just can't take a hint can you?" I could definitely tell that she was been sarcastic that time.


End file.
